Taking a Ride with the Hawaiian Railway Society

Did you know that Oahu has an actual railroad? Or did. And what's left of the Oahu Railway is now cared for by the Hawaiian Railway Society.

Most people that visit Oahu don't know that it is home to the remanent of a major railroad. Formerly known as the Oahu Railway, the railroad was a Class I railroad founded by Benjamin Dillingham. Dillingham's railroad once stretched over 71 miles from downtown Honolulu to Kahuku on Oahu's North Shore. The purpose of the railroad was to provide transportation while also transporting sugar cane, pineapple, and more. And, the railroad played a prominent role in establishing many towns along its route such as Aiea, Pearl City, Waipahu, Waianae, and more.

Oahu Railway 0-6-0 switcher No. 12

However, as Oahu's highway system developed, the need for the railroad went down. In fact, while World War II did provide a boost in usage, it took its toll on the railroad and quickened the development of roads. As a result, the Oahu Railway filed for abandonment not long after the war. But the US Navy acquired the railroad right-of-way from Pearl Harbor's West Loch to the Lualualei Munitions Depot.

The Hawaiian Railway Society

Eventually, the US Navy decided to abandon the remaining stretch of track. And, long story short, the Hawaiian Railway Society was created to preserve Hawaii's railway history. Operating out of a yard in Ewa, the Hawaiian Railway Society continues its preservation work today, while also offering rides to the public.

Hawaiian Railway Society rail yard

Train Ride Information

The Hawaiian Railway Society offers three rids a week, one at 3:00 pm on Saturdays, and another two on Sunday at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. All rides last 90 minutes taking passengers from Ewa to Kahe point and back. 3:00 pm rides are "ice cream rides" stopping at the Ko Olina Station shopping center so passengers can purchase ice cream at Two Scoops.

As of this writing, rides cost $15 for adults, $10 for children (2-12) and seniors (62 and up). Children 2 and under are free but must be held. However, every second Sunday, the society adds Benjamin Dillingham's parlor car to the train, which guests may ride. Tickets for the Parlor Car costs $30 and go towards upkeep. Tickets go on sale two hours ahead of time and are first come, first serve. However, if you're going to ride the Parlor Car, you'll need to call in advance to reserve your seat. You'll still need to pay for your ticket in-person, though.

Oahu Railway No. 423 (left) and 302 (right)

All trains are pulled by ex-Navy Whitcomb 45-ton switchers. For my particular ride, locomotive 302 was in use, while No. 423 had just finished an overhaul. However, in the near future, the Hawaiian Railway Society will add a third locomotive to its active roster: ex-USN 65-ton GE switcher No. 174. That locomotive is just wrapping up a major overhaul and has been making occasional, limited runs.

Parlor Car Ride

On Sunday, January 14, I decided to take a ride for the first time in YEARS. And since the Parlor Car wasn't even resorted the last time I visited the Hawaiian Railway Society, I decided to check it out. This, I might add, was a great idea, but more on that later.

Oahu Railway Parlor Car 64

Though I didn't plan on getting ice cream, I opted for the 3:00 pm ice cream ride just to see what it's about. And to give myself time to snap some photos, I arrived at the yard at 2:00 pm. Parking is on a gravel lot and is tight, so keep that in mind.

Oahu Railway Office

When the previous train pulled in, everyone queued up and formed a LONG line. But, the boarding process was fairly quick. It was likely easier for me, though, since the Parlor Car carries fewer passengers. And before I knew it, we were off.Parlor Car Ticket

As I mentioned before, the Parlor Car has fewer passengers in it, which allows for a more intimate atmosphere. Adding to this is the fact that the car has its own narrator and its own set of rules. For example, you can get up and walk around in the Parlor Car while the train is in motion. Oh, and the Parlor Cr is fully enclosed, unlike the regular passenger cars, though it does offer seating on the observation deck too.

Parlor Car Interior Seating

Parlor Car Vanity (no longer functional)

Toilet (non-functional)

Toilet (non-functional)

Parlor Car Builder Plate

Scenery

When I first started visiting the Hawaiian Railway Society, the area around the railyard and most of the right-of-way wasn't developed. But that has changed a lot in the past couple of decades. And, as a result, much of the scenery nowadays is of the developing second city of Kapolei. However, once you reach Ko Olina, you get fantastic views of Oahu's Leeward Coast and the Pacific.

Kahe Point - end of the line

View of the train at Kahe Point

Kahe Power Plant

Nanakuli

View of Leeward Coast

Ko Olina

Ko Olina Resort

Costco grade crossing with a truck that tried to beat the gates. Don't try to beat the gates. Duh.

Ka Makana Ali'i grade crossing

Hampton Inn as seen from the rail yard

[Railyard

Ice Cream Stop

After stopping at Kahe Point, the end of the line, the train heads back towards Ewa. However, as mentioned earlier, the train stops in Ko Olina to allow passengers to purchase ice cream. Here, you can hop off to purchase ice cream, or food or drink from any of the other establishments in Ko Olina Station. You will need to finish whatever you purchase before re-boarding the Parlor Car, though, to protect the historic car. The stop here lasts about 30-ish minutes.

Two Scoops line at Ko Olina Station

I took this opportunity to stretch my legs and snap some photos of the train.

Ex-Navy Whitcomb No. 302

Ex-Navy Whitcomb No. 302

Oahu Railway Parlor Car 64

Shoofly

I forgot to mention earlier that, at least for a few months this year, the Oahu Railway's mainline is making its first deviation. Thanks to a construction project related to the ongoing developments, the Hawaiian Railway Society built a shoofly. As a result, the train has to slow down on this section of track, slightly extending the duration of the ride. And, as it turns out, the day that I took a ride was the very first day this section of track was in use.

Train entering shoofly

Shoofly switch

Train traversing shoofly

Hawaiian Railway Society

Train traversing shoofly

Looking back toward the shoofly

Shoofly

Hawaiian Railway Society, Final Thoughts

My experience at the Hawaiian Railway Society was a fantastic experience, as I expected. And it was even better thanks to the amazing volunteer that was narrating in the Parlor Car. I, unfortunately, don't remember her name, but she was very personable, funny, passionate, and knowledgeable. Plus, unlike the rest of the train, the Parlor Car is not full of little kids. Not that there's anything wrong with kids, but the rest of the train is quite a bit noisier. The Parlor Car, on the other hand, is definitely a much nicer experience.

Oahu Railway No. 85 (formerly at Travel Town in California and the Maui Sugar Cane Train)

If you're a railfan like me, the Hawaiian Railway Society is an experience not to be missed. Not only do you get to see some unique sites, but by riding you're supporting a great cause. And, the Hawaiian Railway Society is the only place on Oahu that you can still see a variety of historic railroad equipment, including the last remaining Oahu Railway mainline locomotive.

Very interesting post, kharada46, and great photographs. Don't know if I knew about the train while I was stationed on Oahu in the late 1950s. Spent most of my time at Schofield Barracks and the town just outside whose name began with a W (sounded like Wahiwa). Bad spelling for sure! Thanks for post.

Thanks, bpelican! So you were stationed here when they were still running munitions trains from the Lualualei Naval Magazine to Pearl Harbor's West Loch! That would've been a pretty interesting sight to see, though I'm not sure how often they ran those trains. And that's a really good guess on the town name, just one letter off, actually! Wahiawa is the town right outside of Schofield Barracks and is home to one of my favorite places for pies on the island

KHarada46, thanks for this post. I was wondering about the railroad tracks when I had stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Resort 6 years ago. I probably wouldn't have selected this property if my friend didn't allow me to rent her time share for a fraction of the 7 nights cost then. I ended up with a 2 bedroom ocean view suite. It was definitely a fantastic property.

Nice, yclau! Would you believe that the OR&L was once a (narrow gauge) Class I railroad that began at the pink railroad station still standing in downtown Honolulu, ran through the Ko Olina, around Kaena Point, went through Waimea Valley (the railroad bridge is now the pedestrian bridge), and terminated at the very north end of Oahu in Kahuku? I wish more of the line was preserved so that younger generations such as myself could have experienced it. It would be quite the tourist attraction today if it had been preserved, but oh well.

You should check it out next time, arizonatag! Not what it used to be with all the development around the area. But, still. It's a historic right of way operated using historic ex-Navy equipment dating back to WWII, Vietnam, and Korea, as well as historic Oahu Railway equipment. The Parlor Car #64 is truly a unique experience and one I'd do again

I would except my heart is on Maui, so Oahu is only a flight connection for me now to/from the mainland. Plenty of exploring left to do on Maui, although I've done about everything already once. Now I just go back to do my favs, like La Perouse Bay to swim with the Spinner's and Turtles, BBQ at Kamaole I, II or III, Sunset lounging with friends, etc. Maui Life is Rich! I like Oahu, but it is just a little too busy for me.

Well arizonatag, can't argue with you there. But I would say give Oahu another chance. Swimming with Spinners at Makaha on Oahu looks like a fantastic experience. And while Maui is catching up with Oahu on the epicurean front, Honolulu is still hard to beat (as you've seen)

I'm sure I will be in Oahu again whenever United decides to drop the r/t airfares from SFO to HNL to $299.00 or 35,000 miles redemption for a r/t airfare (I do daydream a lot ever since I retired). Of course, I probably have to stay at one of the Waikiki hotels (personal preference is the Prince Waikiki) again. Probably won't have time to meet up with any of my friends there because it seems most of them prefer that I don't stay at any of the tourist areas (the first thing they complained about is the Waikiki traffic). They were so much happier when I had stayed at Ko Olina simply because some of them lives in Ewa Beach. Your post definitely made me miss Oahu again.

yclau, hopefully your friends' minds will have changed. I think locals are starting to venture into Waikiki more and more as there's been a lot of great, inexpensive places to eat that have opened up there. I find myself in the area quite often these days even though I live out in Pearl City!

Hah! Thanks, iahflyr. Fun fact: those tracks were torn up by the original developer, but because the remanents of the Oahu Railway are a National Historic Site, they were forced to put them back in. And they did a great job with the coral ballast and standard gauge ties (on a narrow gauge line). Too bad the Society is cutting corners to save funds and using narrow gauge ties for repairs these days.

Geez, KHarada46, you really brought back lots of great memories from my last Oahu trip. We had to have a rental car when we stayed at Ko Olina then, so one of the days, we met up with one of my friends who lives maybe 2 miles from Waikiki, so he told us to meet him halfway which was at one of the malls in Pearl City. Took us to an all-you-can-eat buffet around there. Love that place because of the ramen noodles (& I can't remember the restaurant name anymore)!!! We ended up going back there 2 more times before we returned home. Because of the rental car, we drove up & down the North Shores. The best memory from the trip was not the Dole Plantation (all my friends could've guessed that it should be the last place I should visit)...but it was a quick stop at this little food stand place outside of the entrance of a National Park (also couldn't remember the name) that we encountered the meanest ever peacock...it literally attacked one of the guests' sandwich plate and he took the whole sandwich off the plate with him. Too bad I wasn't expecting it or it would have been the most funniest Kodak moment ever. Okay, so very sorry to be so chatty today, but I'm now going to check United and see if they have any great deals to Hawaii. Have a great day!

yclau, nice! You got to experience the real Oahu lol. Unfortunately, that all-you-can-eat place (I'm guessing it's Makino Chaya) is no longer there. All of their locations have gone out of business, which isn't surprising, as their quality was in a free fall from what I can remember. But, great values abound if you know where to look And ramen has become ubiquitous, so it's not hard to find a place you like, though there are only a handful of places I'd recommend. You've got me thinking about that park now, though! I know we have a National Wildlife Refuge up north near the Kahuku shrimp aquafarms, though I've never seen any peacocks up there. They are grouchy animals, though, and it's recommended that you steer clear That would have been a hilarious Kodak moment, though. Good luck on your Hawaii travel deals!

First of all, my sincere apologies on putting you through a wild peacock chase especially if you had spent more than 5 minutes trying to figure out whatever National Park I had stopped by. Anyway, I've double checked with my friend who was also there, and needless to say, you're 100% correct that there's no such National Park there. After many lols...he's pretty sure that we were at this place that the name starts with Wa….. Valley. So, today's confession is: I blame it on senior moments + have no comment sense on geography whatsoever. This is probably why none of my friends will ever ask me for any directions in SF even though I've been living here all my life.

lol not to worry yclau. I had a feeling it might have been Waimea Valley aka Waimea Falls Park. That bridge you drive over, there's a smaller pedestrian bridge next to it. That used to be the Oahu Railway bridge. Here's a historic image of the railroad operating in the area.

Thanks so much again for all of your fantastic posts. I also spent some time re-reading some of your older posts. Really appreciate all of the thoughtful details. Almost like I have experienced the real Oahu along with you from the start. Have a nice day!